hesela.devDifferential backup
A differential backup captures changes accumulated since its designated full-backup base, rather than only changes since the preceding differential backup.
In SQL Server, changed extents are tracked against the differential base; COPY_ONLY full backups do not reset that base. [1] Terminology varies: SNIA's differential incremental backup instead refers to changes since the latest full or incremental backup, so it is not used here as an alias. [2]
Relations
- related
- full-backup, incremental-backup, backup, point-in-time-recovery, restore-test
Advantages
- SQL Server restores the matching base and selected differential without earlier differentials. [1]
Limitations
- The matching differential base must be retained; the newest full backup is not necessarily that base. [1]